(b) What structure plays a similar role in hearing to the role that the retina plays in vision?
(c) The three basic sensations associated with hearing are.
Answers: (a) tympanic membrane; (b) The basilar membrane; (3) pitch, loudness, and
timbre.
Taste: “This Is Too Salty”
The stimuli that control much of the sense of taste are various chemical com-
pounds such as those associated with salt, sugar, or lemon juice. The units that
make taste possible are clusters of neurons located on the tongue called taste
buds.The taste buds respond in such a way that they produce four basic taste sen-
sations. These sensations are quite familiar. They are known as sweet, salty, bitter,
and sour.
All tastes and taste names refer to combinations of these sensations in various
patterns. How can there be many flavors if there are only four basic taste sensa-
tions? Think of the four sensations as a kind of alphabet. There are twenty-six let-
ters in the standard English alphabet. Nonetheless, we have many thousands of
words. Similarly, the four sensations are able to produce many flavors.
Taste buds are gathered in specific areas of the tongue. For example, the taste
buds that produce the sensation of sweetness are located near the tip of the tongue.
It is estimated that we have about 10,000 taste buds.
It should also be noted that the sense of taste interacts with other senses such
as smell, vision, and touch. The aroma of a soup, the look of a steak, and differ-
ences in texture on the tongue all change our taste impressions.
(a) Taste buds, located on the tongue, are.
(b) The four basic taste sensations are.
Answers: (a) clusters of neurons; (b) sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.
Touch: Of Pain and Pressure
It is common to refer to touch as one of the basic senses. It is more accurate, how-
ever, to speak of the skin senses,basic experiences associated with different kinds
of receptor neurons located in the skin. There are four skin senses: (1) light touch,
(2) deep touch, (3) temperature, and (4) pain. The sensation oflight touchcan
be induced by placing very little pressure on the surface of the skin or by slowly
stroking the skin. You are aware that you are being touched even if your eyes are
Sensation: Studying the Gateways of Experience 51
